Crazy about daisies – an easy guide to the Asteraceae family
The daisy family, also known as the sunflower or aster family, features some of the most loved and well-known plants, and includes annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees
Mint imperial – a guide to the Lamiaceae family
RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival celebrates the mint family in a range of feature beds. Also known as the deadnettle or sage family, Lamiaceae feature some of the most loved and well-known plants. They’re often scented and widely used as culinary and medicinal herbs
Meet the family
Lamiaceae is the sixth largest family of flowering plants with seven sub-families, 236 genera and more than 7,000 species. Lamiaceae includes wildflowers, trees and many common garden plants we grow for their vibrant flowers, -attracting properties and to liven our senses. What would the herb bed do without rosemary, lavender, basil, thyme, oregano, sage and, of course, mint?
Often used in cookery, medicine and cosmetics for the scented essential oils in its leaves. Mint can improve digestion, boost immunity, sooth skin, relieve nausea and allergies and combat bad breath. Lavender is used in aromatherapy for relaxation and in herbal medicine rosemary is used to ease pain.
Common family traits
Thymus ‘Lemon Variegated’
The family even includes houseplants (Plectranthus) and trees (teak). The flowers are bilaterally symmetrical with five united petals and five united sepals. The leaves are equal and opposite each other or whorled. Stems are frequently square in cross section, though there are exceptions.
Mythic mints
@RHS Library
@RHS Library
In Greek mythology Mintha was a mistress of Hades, the god of the underworld, but she was turned into a plant by his jealous wife Persephone. Hades could not reverse the transformation but he bestowed upon the plant the sweet mint fragrance in recompense.
Lavender has long symbolised romance and 15th-century English superstition held that unmarried women would see their true love if they drank lavender tea on St Luke’s Day (18 October).
In folklore, Rosemary is believed to ward off evil spirits, protect against the plague and attract friends. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as she descends into madness Ophelia gives out rosemary saying ‘There's rosemary, that's for remembrance’.
Sage cuttings
At RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
Following the successful All About Asteraceae beds at the Festival in 2024, graduates of the London College of Garden Design are returning to explore the Lamiaceae Family. Book tickets to the Festival (1-6 July 2025) to see their fragrant collections and discover more about this remarkable and versatile family.
Book tickets to RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival where you can enjoy the For the Love of Lamiaceae display
About the author – Jenny Laville
RHS Digital Editor for Shows, Jenny is a writer and co host of the Gardening with the RHS podcast. With a background in both news journalism and comedy writing, Jenny retrained in horticulture with a RHS L3. She currently looks after an allotment and urban garden in Buckinghamshire.
